James Brown - The Early Years
James Brown (vocals, keyboards; born May 5, 1933, died December 25, 2006) James Brown had more honorifics attached to his name than any other performer in music history. He was variously tagged “Soul Brother Number One,” “the Godfather of Soul,” “the Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “Mr. Dynamite” and even “the Original Disco Man.” This much is certain: what became known as soul music in the Sixties, funk music in the Seventies and rap music in the Eighties is directly attributable to James Brown. His transformation of gospel fervor into the taut, explosive intensity of rhythm & blues, combined with precision choreography and dynamic showmanship, served to define the directions black music would take from the release of his first R&B hit ("Please Please Please") in 1956 to the present day. Brown’s life history documents one triumph over adversity after another. He was born into poverty in Barnwell, South Carolina, during the Great Depression. As a child, he picked cotton, danced for spare change and shined shoes. At 16, he was caught and convicted of stealing, and he landed in reform school for three years. While incarcerated, he met Bobby Byrd, leader of a gospel group that performed at the prison. After his release, Brown tried his hand at semipro boxing and baseball. A career-ending leg injury inspired him to pursue music fulltime. He joined Byrd in a group that sang gospel in and around Toccoa, Georgia. But then Byrd and Brown attended a rhythm & blues revue that included Hank Ballard and Fats Domino, whose performances lured them into the realm of secular music. Renaming themselves the Flames (later, the Famous Flames), they became a tightly knit ensemble that showcased their abundant talents as singers, dancers and multi-instrumentalists. Read more: http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/james-brown/bio/ =James Brown = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Joseph Brown, Jr. (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American recording artist and musician. One of the founding fathers of funk music and a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance, he is often referred to as "The Godfather of Soul". In a career that spanned six decades, Brown profoundly influenced the development of many different musical genres.[2] Born in Barnwell, South Carolina, Brown moved to Augusta, Georgia, to live with relatives at the age of four. After a stint in prison for robbery, Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. Joining an R&B vocal group called the Avons that later evolved to become The Famous Flames, Brown served as the group's lead singer.[3][4] Coming to national public attention with the late 1950sballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a tireless live performer with The Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. Brown's success peaked in the 1960swith the live album, Live at the Apollo, and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World". During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music making that influenced the development of funk music.[5] By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of The JB's with records such as "(Get Up I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". Brown also became notable for songs of social commentary including the 1968 hit, "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record for the duration of his life and died in 2006 from congestive heart failure and pneumonia Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown Encyclopedia of =World Biography = World Biography » Br-Ca » James Brown Biography =James Brown Biography = Born: May 3, 1933 Barnwell, South Carolina ' ''African American singer "Godfather of Soul" James Brown unleashed a string of rhythm-and-blues hits through the 1960s and early 1970s. His influence and work ethic earned him the reputation as "the hardest-working man in show business." Difficult childhood James Joe Brown Jr. was born on May 3, 1933, in Barnwell, South Carolina, to Joe and Susie Brown. His mother left the family when James was only four years old. His father, looking for work, moved the remaining family to Augusta, Georgia, to live with an aunt, who oversaw a brothel (a house for prostitutes). Growing up, Brown was heavily influenced by jazz and rhythm-and-blues, two musical types dominated by African Americans. Other influences were the circuses and traveling shows with their variety of acts, both singing and dancing. But Brown's musical dreams were soon drowned out by his tough childhood. He grew up fast, and by his teens Brown had drifted into crime. At sixteen he went to jail for multiple car thefts. Though initially sentenced {C} ''James Brown. '' ''Reproduced by permission of'' AP/Wide World Photos . to eight to sixteen years of hard labor, he got out in less than four years for good behavior. After unsuccessful attempts at boxing and baseball, he formed a gospel group called the Swanees with his prison pal Johnny Terry. Read more: http://www.notablebiographies.com/Br-Ca/Brown-James.html {C} · THE JAMES BROWN COLLECTION · LOT 1 SALE 2116 LOT 1 NEXT '''GO TO: [[|'GO']] =JAMES BROWN CHILDHOOD PHOTOGRAPH = [[| ]] [[|{C} ]] Price Realized · $5,000' '(Set Currency) ''' Estimate · $500 - $700 Sale Information · SALE 2116 — · THE JAMES BROWN COLLECTION · ''17 July 2008 '' · ''New York', Rockefeller Plaza '' · OVERVIEW Lot Description James Brown Childhood Photograph A hand-tinted photograph of James Brown at the age of nine-years old. Framed 7x9in. Read more: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/memorabilia/james-brown-childhood-photograph-5099110-details.aspx {C} =James Brown = Celebrity James Brown: Biography {C} · Birth Name: James Joseph Brown Jr. · Birth Place: Barnwell, SC · Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 05/03/1933, Taurus · Date of Death: 12/25/2006 · Profession: Singer; songwriter; actor User Rating: {C}{C}{C}{C}{C} (146 ratings) Add Your Rating: {C}{C}{C}{C}{C} A consummate showman whose private life was as explosive as his legendary performances, this iconic hit-maker forever changed the sound of music. Born into poverty in the '30s, as a youth Brown spent time in jail for stealing before finding his calling as an entertainer. In the '50s, he began honing his act with his friend and collaborator Bobby Byrd in the band The Flames, which soon became James Brown and the Famous Flames. In the '60s, the "Godfather of Soul" injected R&B with an infectious funky flare. His offbeat rhythms, catchy hooks, barking vocals and fancy footwork — including awe-inspiring twirls and splits — turned him into a stage star. His mainstream breakthrough came with the 1963 album Live at the Apollo, which captured his electrifying energy on vinyl and became the No. 2 album nationwide. He spent the sixties penning classics such as "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "Get Up (I Feel Like A) Sex Machine" and the empowering civil rights anthem "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud." In the '70s, lively songs like “Hot Pants,” “Make It Funky,” Get on the Good Foot Pt. 1” and “The Payback Pt. 1” flooded dance floors. Read more: http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-brown/bio/155309 1. Entertainment {C} Oldies Music ''' =James Brown = By Robert Fontenot, About.com Guide {C} James Brown Born: '''James Joseph Brown, Jr., May 3, 1933, Barnwell, SC; d. December 25, 2006, Atlanta, GA Genres: Funk, Soul, R&B, Dance, Pop Instruments: Vocals, Keyboards Contributions to music: · With his backing bands, generally considered to be the primary architect of funk music · A major force in transforming R&B music into soul · His 1963 LP Live At The Apollo was a major influence in bringing soul music to the masses · Perhaps the most dynamic stage presence rock and roll has ever produced · Considered one of soul music's greatest all-time vocalists · An important and activist African-American icon during the civil rights movement of the Sixties · A major player in the "blaxploitation" craze of the early Seventies · Sampled portions of his records were fundamental in the explosion of hip-hop in the late Eighties Early years: Born into abject poverty in Georgia, James Brown began performing gospel and R&B at an early age, but his entry into the professional music business ironically came from a prison stint -- while serving a sentence for armed robbery at the age of 16, he met one Bobby Byrd, whose family engineered Brown's release provided he get a job. James soon found himself in Byrd's group, The Avons, who became The Famous Flames in 1955. Cincinnati's King Records signed the popular touring group, now with James' name in front, and the band scored an immediate R&B smash with 1956's "Please, Please, Please." Read more: http://oldies.about.com/od/soulmotown/p/jamesbrown.htm